1940s
Robert Cumming is born in Worcester, Massachusetts.
1960s
Robert Cumming and William Wegman attend Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, and become close friends.
Robert Cumming earns his BFA from Massachusetts College of Art in Boston.
Robert Cumming and William Wegman drive from Boston to Illinois in Cumming’s 1965 VW bus to attend graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Robert Cumming earns his MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Robert Cumming begins teaching at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
Robert Cumming and William Wegman collaborate on two-person shows.
1970s
Barbara Kasten participates in exhibitions with her friends Robert Cumming and Douglas Huebler.
Robert Cumming moves to California to teach at California State University, Fullerton.
Allen Ruppersberg proposes Al’s Grand Hotel for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s exhibition 24 Young Los Angeles Artists, which also includes Vija Celmins, Robert Cumming, and William Wegman.
Vija Celmins, Robert Cumming, Allen Ruppersberg, and William Wegman participate in 24 Young Los Angeles Artists at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
Robert Cumming and Roy De Forest participate in the Nut Art exhibition at the University Art Gallery of California State University, Hayward.
1980s